15 Coalition Air Strikes Hit ISIS in Iraq
By Simon Kent. Aircraft from the US led Coalition in Iraq have attacked 15 targets in Iraq in the past 24 hrs, according to an official statement from the "Combined Joint Task Force," better known as the US led Coalition. As per recent waves of strikes, the latest attacks were centred on Ramadi, where an […]
Jordanian Truckers Lament Trebil Closure
By Simon Kent. Last Summer, the Jordanian government closed the Trebil border crossing with Iraq as fighters from the so called "Islamic State," also known as Daesh, took control of huge areas of Anbar in Iraq. Jordan's Ministry of Transport subsequently forbade truckers to transit into Iraq, causing over 300 million Jordanian Dinars worth of […]
US Kills ISIS "Finance Chief"
By Simon Kent. The US air force has eliminated Abu Saleh, the financial coordinator of ISIS (also known as Daesh) in an air strike at the end of November. US military spokesman Col. Steve Warren announced the strike, noting that Abu Saleh was "a legacy al Qaeda member." The strike was one of a series […]
Iraq Goes to UN over Turkish Deployment
By Simon Kent. Iraq's Foreign Ministry have approached the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, seeking an official condemnation of the deployment of Turkish troops to Northern Iraq. Although the troop training arrangement is between the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party and the Turks, Baghdad views the move as a violation of sovereignty. Turkey […]
Finland Arrests Speicher Massacre Suspects
By Simon Kent. Two twins have been detained in Finland on suspicion of involvement in the so called "Speicher massacre" which occurred near Tikrit last June. Finnish security services had apparently been anticipating the arrival of the men in the country, whose faces appear un-masked in a video by the so called "Islamic State," also […]
Iraqi Forces Close to Ramadi Victory
By Simon Kent. Iraqi forces in Anbar province's capital city of Ramadi are close to victory, several publications report. According to The Wall St. Journal, Iraqi sources on the ground say that US air strikes were critical in the latest advances and most of the city's districts are now once again under government control. At this point, […]
Visited Iraq? US Now Requires Special Visa
By Simon Kent. The US House of Representatives have voted to place special visa requirements on anyone who has visited Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria after March 2011. The regulations--in effect from the date of the beginning of the Syrian uprising, come in the wake of the Paris attacks and relate to concerns over individuals […]
Kata'ib Hezbollah Threaten "Turkish Interests"
By Simon Kent. Iraqi Shi'a paramilitary group Kata'ib Hezbollah, or "Hezbollah Brigades" have threatened Turkish troops and Turkish interests in Iraq over the recent deployment of the Turkish army in Kurdish areas. Due to the location of Turkish troops however, the militant group is currently unable to target the Turkish army. Last week it was […]
Yezidis Discover ISIS Supply Route
By Simon Kent. According to fighters from northern Iraq's Yezidi ethnic minority, ISIS or "Daesh" have opened a new supply route from Syria to Mosul, which enters the northern occupied city from the south and moves through at Ba'aj, south of Sinjar. Yezidis currently working with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have been observing the route, which […]
US Offers Helicopter Support in Ramadi
By Simon Kent. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said that, if requested the Iraqi army can benefit from US ground attack helicopters and embedded military advisers in the final stages of the fight for Ramadi. The Iraqi army have recently made significant advances into the center of the town, (pictured above) which is the capital […]
KRG Oil Exports Top 600,000 bpd
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has published its monthly export report for November 2015. The KRG exported 18,023,075 barrels of crude oil (an average of 600,769 barrels per day (bpd)) in the month of November through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. Of this amount, fields operated by the KRG contributed […]
APR Signs Contract Extension
APR Energy, which describes itself as "a global leader in fast-track power solutions", announce on Wednesday that it has signed extensions of its power generation contracts in Iraq and Angola. The Company's contract extension in Iraq is for a one-year term, and runs through 2016. The power plant has been in operation since 2012 and […]